PUBLISHED: 05:09 on November 8, 2023.
A flu virus heritage found in Thailand and whose genome has been sequenced here is one of the three flu strains chosen by World Health Organization expert teams for the development of a novel influenza vaccination for use in the Southern Hemisphere in 2024, the Ministry of Public Health announced on Tuesday.
According to Yongyot Thammawut, a deputy permanent secretary of the ministry who is currently acting permanently secretary, the WHO Global Influenza Surveillance and Response System ( GISRS ) members met in Geneva in late September to discuss the new trivalent( three-strain ) influenza vaccine’s composition.
According to Dr. Yongyot,” the inclusion of the flu lineage found in Thailand in the 2024 flu vaccine has reflected the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand’s powerful cooperation and crucial role in international efforts to ensure the health of all people.”
As part of the ministry’s surveillance of influenza virus strains that circulated widely across the nation, the strain in question was identified, and its genome was sequenced by the Department of Medical Sciences( DMS ), he claimed.
According to him, the DMS, Department of Disease Control, a number of institutions, and the US Centers for Disease Prevention’s company in Thailand make up the system of influenza virus surveillance for the ministry.
In order to ensure the effectiveness of the WHO’s condition prevention control measures and to provide ongoing updates on disease activities, the system continues to closely track the strains and important mutations while reporting findings to the organization on a regular basis, he said.
According to the doctor, there are currently an increasing number of new infections in Thailand, with the influenza A( H3N2 ) virus dominating and causing about 66 % of all cases.
According to him, the influenza A ( H1N1 ) virus was found to be the cause of 14 % of new cases and about 19 % of all new infections.